A Whole New Life
by Luke Skywalker
Summary: Luke and Mara are together for the long haul. They have little baby Ben and everything is fine. But the war with the Yuzhann Vong could be the force strong enough to pull them apart...forever. Finally completed with Chapter 3!! Read and Review please!
1. Happiness

1 A Whole New Life  
  
By: Luke Skywalker  
  
Summary: Three months after the events in Edge of Victory: Rebirth.  
  
Spoilers: If you haven't read Balance Point, Edge of Victory I: Conquest or Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, then I suggest you return and read this story once you have!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just like complicating their lives more! They belong to the All Mighty Lucas, Zahn and Keyes. Please don't sue!  
  
"This illness," Mara explained. "It came to me again while I slept, this time attacking my womb."  
  
"Did you defeat it?" Leia asked.  
  
"Not so bad an attack," Mara said.  
  
"Then what?" Leia asked.  
  
Mara took a deep breath. "My womb," she said solemnly. Suddenly Leia understood.  
  
"You're afraid you might not be able to have any children," she said. Mara nodded.  
  
Mara Jade Skywalker now found herself laughing at the memory of being afraid that she would never have a child of her own. It had been over a year since the Yuuzhan Vong disease that had threatened her life had infected her for the first time. But even when she had began taking Vergere's tears to cure her, she had done everything possible to keep herself from becoming pregnant. Now, she was glad that all her attempts hadn't worked. She smiled as she looked down at her newborn son. He was wide-awake on her bed, lying on his back. She was lying on her side next to him, her red gold hair falling over him like a canopy. The only sounds in the room came from behind her in the 'fresher where Luke was finishing his shower.  
  
Ben looked up at his mother and smiled his wide, toothless baby smile. Mara smiled back and leaned down and kissed his forehead. Ben was her glimmer of hope that the New Republic, as well as all the people involved in the struggle against the Yuuzhan Vong would be all right. With the Yuuzhan Vong disease completely gone from her body, Mara's fears for the future all receded with the birth of hers and Luke's son. But Ben was definitely his father's son with his blue eyes and slightly darkened skin. He was already so beautiful.  
  
Her son began tugging on a bit of Mara's hair that had fallen into his face. Mara giggled as he began winding the strands through his fingers, as if by touching it he could know what it was. As he came close to bringing the red gold mass into his mouth, Mara reached down and pulled her hair out of his hand. "No, little one," she whispered gently. "It wouldn't taste good." Ben looked at her innocently, then smiled sweetly again. Mara smiled, too and let him wrap his tiny hand around her index finger. He gripped it tightly and Mara stroked his soft, pale red hair.  
  
Suddenly, Mara felt her husband sit on the bed behind her and began running his hand along her shoulder and arm. Mara craned her neck to look behind her into Luke's blue eyes. He smiled down at her and kissed her quickly. When they separated, he was only inches away from her face. "What was that for?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing," Luke said. Mara raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Nothing, Skywalker?" she asked. But before she could go any further, he captured her lips again. The couple pulled away as they heard Ben coo. Luke looked down to see his son's bright blue eyes fixed on him, as if he already recognized his father. The Jedi smiled at the tiny boy lying safely within arms reach of his mother. Mara looked down at her son, too. "It feels so good to have him home," she whispered. "It makes me feel like we now have the family we always wanted."  
  
Luke stood up, walked around to the other side of the bed and lye down on the other side of Ben, sandwiching the boy between the two of them. "Has it really hit you yet?" he asked his wife, trying to sense her feelings. Mara's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.  
  
"Has what hit me yet, Luke?" she asked.  
  
"That you're a mother." Mara looked down at Ben, who was pulling on his white baby pajamas with feet. He was so innocent and good. Mara wondered for a moment how after the life she led before Luke came along, how could she have carried and given birth to such goodness? But, Ben was truly her son. She knew it the moment she had felt him growing inside her. But as far as being a mother went, Mara had been uncertain until a few moments ago.  
  
"Not full force, but I do know that Ben is my son and I'm his mother," she said. She looked from her son's blue eyes into her husband's. "But he's definitely your son, Luke."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Luke asked.  
  
"Just look at him," Mara whispered. "His blue eyes, the tan skin, his smile." Luke looked down at Ben. Indeed, he had blue eyes and tanned skin. But as he kept his eyes on his son, he knew that Ben had as much of Mara in him as he did Luke.  
  
"He has your hair, though," Luke said. Mara looked up at him. She smiled as she saw that all of Luke's attention was no longer on her, but on Ben.  
  
"What about you, Farmboy?" she asked, forcing Luke to look at her again. "Do you feel like a daddy yet?"  
  
Luke bit his lip. He wanted to give a definite answer, but he couldn't. He wasn't sure. He looked down at Ben again. Ben's blue eyes met Luke's and he smiled. Luke smiled back and held out his finger towards the boy and Ben took it. As he squeezed Luke's finger and put his other hand over it, Luke felt the Force flow between him and his son. Luke closed his eyes so he could fully feel the connection. Suddenly, images came to him. A young boy, a toddler, with pale-red straight hair running toward him. Luke opened his arms to the boy and pulled him up to rest on his hip. Luke recognized the boy as an older version of Ben. The image vanished and was replaced by another one. A ten-year old Ben was lying in his bed, his chest rising and falling. He was sleeping peacefully. Luke saw Mara sitting on the bed stroking his hair, which was a little longer and falling in his face, desperately needing to be cut. Luke walked to stand over her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled. Then the image vanished. A sixteen-year old Ben sat on the couch in their living quarters on Yavin VI. His head was in his hands and Luke sat down beside the young man and put his hand on Ben's shoulder. Ben looked up at his father, tears staining his face. Luke pulled Ben into his arms and his son folded into his embrace, burring his face into Luke's shoulder. Suddenly, Luke opened his eyes and Ben was the three-month old baby he had been. His small hand was still wrapped around Luke's finger. Luke smiled and Ben smiled, too.  
  
"I do now," Luke said, answering Mara's question. He looked up at her and saw that she was crying. He removed his finger from Ben's grasp and touched her arm. "What's wrong, Mara?" he asked. "Are you okay?"  
  
"That was so sweet, Luke," she said, her voice shaking. Luke's eyes narrowed. "I saw what you saw. He was talking to you."  
  
"Do you think he knows something that we don't?" Luke asked. Mara shook her head and looked back at Ben.  
  
"I don't know, Luke." She touched Ben's small, soft, delicate arm. "I do know that he knows that we love him." Ben looked up at Mara and smiled. She smiled back and kissed his forehead, his cheek and his ear. The small boy giggled under her kisses. "That's right, Ben," Mara whispered. "We love you."  
  
"And we'll give you everything," Luke continued. "You're our whole world, our new life." Luke picked Ben up from off the bed and had the boy stand on his thighs as Luke reclined back on a couple pillows. Ben leaned forward after a little while of balancing on his feet with his father's comforting hands under his arms. Luke let Ben lye down on his chest with his head resting on Luke's collarbone. As the baby began to drift off to sleep, Luke felt Mara scoot in so she was snuggling against Luke's shoulder.  
  
"You look so happy," she commented. Luke glanced in her direction and found her emerald green eyes boring into him. He smiled at her.  
  
"I am," he said. "I have everything I've ever wanted in life. You're cured and my son's healthy. We're going to try to get the academy started again and…" Luke chuckled softly. "Anakin is trying to form a relationship with Tahiri." He kissed her forehead. "Besides the Yuuzhan Vong presence, my life is perfect." Mara smiled and claimed his lips.  
  
"I love you, Skywalker," she whispered, beginning to drift off to sleep. Luke slipped his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I love you, Mara," he said. "And I'm never going to lose you." He saw Mara smiled before she fell asleep. He leaned on her head and closed his eyes as well, comforted with the presence of both is cured wife lying next to him and his newborn son asleep on his chest. Finally, the fighting at a standstill and the two most important people in his life safe, Luke could rest easy.  
  
To Be Continued… 


	2. Reunion

A Whole New Life  
  
By: Luke Skywalker  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Three years after chapter 1, Luke has gone on a mission and Mara and Ben have stayed home. This is one of the visions that Ben showed Luke unknowingly.  
  
Luke sat at the desk provided for him at the hotel on Bespin. He was working on an agreement for the Republic to have more participation from Bespin on certain subjects. Why the Senate had sent him and not Leia was beyond him. If it were his choice, he would have wanted to stay on Coruscant with his wife and young son. He'd been away from them for over a month. This was really Luke's first time being away from them. He missed them. He had always made sure he called Mara every night to give her updates on his progress.  
  
Suddenly, the com in his room began to beep insistently. Luke looked up and sighed, frustrated. Now who is it? he asked himself. He pressed the receive button and the face that greeted him made him smile, relieved. "Mara," he said.  
  
"Hi, Luke," his wife said, her emerald green eyes shining. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine. Did I forget to call?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm so sorry, Mara. I've been so busy." Mara held up her hand.  
  
"It's alright, Luke. I understand." She smiled again. "So do you know when you're coming home?"  
  
"If I finish what I'm doing now, I can leave as soon as I'm done and I'll get home tomorrow morning." Mara raised her eyebrow.  
  
"You took the X-wing, right?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Why, Mara?"  
  
"You need to get some rest, Luke. Come home tomorrow morning and sleep tonight." Luke was already shaking his head.  
  
"No, I'm coming back tonight. I miss you too much. I can't go another day without you." Mara opened her mouth to say something, but she looked down suddenly as a voice joined hers over the link.  
  
"Mommy, who you talking to?" Ben said. Luke smiled as Mara picked up his three year old son onto her lap. Ben looked at the screen and smiled.  
  
"Hi, Ben," Luke said.  
  
"Daddy!" Ben exclaimed. His blue eyes shone when he got a glimpse of his father. "When you coming home?"  
  
"Soon, Ben," Luke said. "Soon." He looked Mara straight in the eye. Mara couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Why don't we let daddy get back to work Ben, okay. That way he'll be home by morning." Ben looked up at his mother and smiled excitedly. He looked back at Luke.  
  
"Bye, daddy!" he said.  
  
"Bye little Jedi. I love you," Luke added.  
  
"Love you, daddy." Ben jumped off his mother's lap and ran off.  
  
"I'll be there to tuck you into bed, Ben," Mara called after her son. She then looked back to her husband. "I'll see you in the morning, Luke."  
  
"I promise, Mara. I won't beak that one."  
  
"You never have, Luke. I love you." Luke smiled.  
  
"Say it again." Mara giggled slightly.  
  
"Beg some more, Skywalker," she said.  
  
"If I do, Mrs. Skywalker, I'm going to be forced to break that promise." Mara frowned slightly, but then smiled.  
  
"I love you, Luke. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"See you later." Mara cut the link after she nodded. Luke stared at the screen for a while, knowing that Mara was going to Ben's room to say good night to him. Luke shook his head, going back to his work mode for another hour.  
  
***  
  
Mara stood at the docking bay that Luke had told her that he had been cleared to land in. It was now 11:40, five minutes after Luke had contacted her. His X-wing had just landed and the canopy was being raised. Mara could feel Luke's excitement over their bond. She could also feel Ben's excitement through the grip he held on her hand. She looked down and saw her son's eyes shining as he saw his father climbing down the ladder of his X-wing. Mara knelt down beside him. "Ben," she said softly. He looked at her. "Why don't you go to your dad. Go on." Ben smiled and ran towards the ship. Mara stood up and smiled as Luke landed on the docking bay floor. He levitated his suitcase and R2D2 to the ground with him. Ben ran up to him.  
  
"Daddy!" he yelled. Luke saw his son and opened his arms to the boy. Ben jumped into his father's embrace and Mara bit back tears of joy. Luke kissed his son's cheek as he set his on his hip. He then picked up his suitcase and looked at Mara, who had begun walking towards him. When they reached each other, Luke put his suitcase down and Ben let him put him down as well. Luke wrapped his arm around his wife and Mara returned the embrace. Luke pulled away slightly and captured her lips with his. It was only a short kiss because as soon as Ben saw them, he made a face. "Ew!" he said. Luke pulled away and looked down. Ben's nose was scrunched up in a look of disgust. Luke couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Later," Mara whispered in his ear and Luke's smile widened as he leaned down and picked up his suitcase. He lifted Ben up onto his hip again and Mara wrapped one of her arms around his waist. The Skywalker family was finally together again.  
  
To Be Continued… 


	3. Pain

A Whole New Life  
  
By: Luke Skywalker  
  
Chapter 3: Pain  
  
Mara goes on a job for Karrde, but she and her party are ambushed by the Yuzhann Vong. Mara is the only survivor of the blood attack, but soon both her son and her husband learn the true meaning of pain.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own STAR WARS or the characters, nor do I own *NSYNC (not that I want to), blah, blah, blah…etc…you get the idea.  
  
Luke Skywalker lye spooned against his wife in bed one night. He had tried to follow her into sleep, but he had so much on his mind. He could tell that the war against the Vong was coming to a close, but he was worried about the casualties. So many people he cared about were either dead or mourning their dead. He was simply praying that the death toll didn't affect his family of three. His son Ben was now sixteen and very close to becoming a Knight. He and Mara had done a very good job training him, but his wife took most of the credit. Luke was proud of them both.  
  
Mara stirred in front of him and finally, Luke felt somewhat relaxed. He tightened his grip around his wife's waist and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He then nestled his face into the sea of red-gold curls that was her hair. As he inhaled their sent, he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
There's a thousand words that I could say to make you come home,  
  
Seems so long ago you walked away and left me alone  
  
And I remember what you said to me, you were acting so strange  
  
And maybe I was too blind to see that you needed a change.  
  
As Mara sat at the table eating breakfast with her son and husband, she realized how much she loved and appreciated them. They were all she had and she treasured them always.  
  
"Mom, are you going to come to watch me spar with Jacen tomorrow?" Ben asked her. Mara opened her mouth to say "Yes, of course. I wouldn't miss it," but then she remembered something she needed to do.  
  
"Ben, I'm sorry I can't," she said sorrowfully. That made Luke look up. "I have to do a job for Karrde." Luke bit his lip before speaking.  
  
"When did this come up?" he asked.  
  
"This morning. I got a call from him while you were in the 'fresher. He wants me to leave in a couple of hours."  
  
"Where're you going?" Mara sighed. Luke had flipped the switch that said "over-protective husband."  
  
"He wants me to go to Sernipidal and help him provide supplies for our fighters out there." She noted that Ben's face had dropped and he was now looking at what was left of his breakfast. But Luke had been shaking his head when she had said the name of the planet. "What, Luke?" she asked.  
  
"That's in the Outer Rim, Mara, and very close to Yuzhann Vong space." One look from his wife told him that they shouldn't fight in front of Ben, so they looked at each other for a couple of seconds and turned simultaneously back to their food.  
  
I don't want you to go, Mara she heard Luke say in her head. She shook her head.  
  
Not now, Luke she responded.  
  
Ben noted the tension between his parents and that they weren't even touching their food anymore. So he stood up, took his plate and theirs and began walking toward the kitchen. "I'll leave you two alone," he said. As he disappeared into the kitchen area, Luke and Mara took that as their cue to go into their bedroom so Mara could change.  
  
"Smart kid," Luke said. This only received a slight nod from his wife. "Mara, what's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Luke, I need to go on this assignment," she said sharply. "Our people need those supplies." Luke sighed.  
  
"It's not what you're going there to do, Mara. I have no problem with that," Luke said softly. "I have a problem with the place. It's very close to the home world of the Yuzhann Vong. I don't want you going out there, Mara."  
  
"Luke, I'm aware of the dangers, and I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't think I could handle them," Mara snapped. "You don't understand…"  
  
"No, Mara you don't understand!" Luke snapped back. Mara was shocked to see his eyes brimming with tears. "I don't want to lose you. You and Ben are all I have, and if you go, I run the risk of never seeing you again." Mara swallowed. She could never hold her own when he got so emotional.  
  
"Luke," she whispered and stepped closer to him. "There's no one else. I'm the only one that can go. Sometimes you have to put your worry for me aside and realize that this is my job and it comes with risks, just like yours does. But, because I have a husband and a son, if anything goes wrong out there, I'm the first one out of there." Luke took his wife in his arms and held her close.  
  
"You'd better be careful, Mara. I love you," he whispered.  
  
"I will," she replied. "And I love you, too." Luke kissed her quickly and Mara went to pack. "Why don't you go tell Ben that he can stop washing the dished before he scrubs the enamel off them." Luke chuckled softly and went toward the kitchen area. Mara pulled out her suitcase and began getting her belongings together. She couldn't put her finger on why, but she had a bad feeling about this whole thing.  
  
1 Was it something I said to make you turn away?  
  
2 To make you walk out and leave me cold  
  
3 If I could just find a way to make it so that you were right here, right now  
  
Mara sat at the controls of the Jade Sabre, having just reached the coordinates Karrde had issued to her in their communication a couple hours before. She was simply waiting for her contact to arrive. She spent the time looking at the holo-images she had put on the controls of her ship. In one, she and Luke were wrapped in each other's arms while they were dancing at their wedding. She had a few more of her and Luke, and some recent ones of Ben and Luke or of all three of them. But the one she absolutely loved was the one she had caught when Ben was only three months old. The baby was lying on Luke's chest and one of Luke's arms was wrapped around his son's small back. Mara smiled, remembering how much she and Luke had wanted a child of their own.  
  
Suddenly, her com button began to beep, and she looked up to see a squadron of X-wings and cruisers. There were only about five ships in all, however. Mara had known that their fleet was depleted, she just hadn't known how much until she saw how many ships had been deployed to get the supplies. She pressed her com button. "This is Mara Jade in the Jade Sabre. Who's the commander of this fleet?" she called over the link.  
  
"Mara, it's Tycho. Do you have the supplies for us?" the flag ship pilot called.  
  
"Tycho! Yes I do."  
  
"We'll have you dock with the cruiser to the starboard side of your ship and we can made the transfer quickly." Tycho sounded anxious to Mara, almost a little apprehensive.  
  
"Any reason why you want to make this exchange so quickly?" she asked him as she moved the Sabre into position.  
  
"Well, we're so close to Yuzhann Vong space, and I don't want to make this any longer than it has to be in case a coral skipper decides to show up."  
  
Mara docked with the cruiser and opened the hatch before responding. "Well then, I'll stop talking to you so I won't be distracted." With that she cut the link with him and opened one with the cruiser. "Deliverance, this is Mara Jade of the Jade Sabre. Do you need any help with the cargo?"  
  
"Mara Jade," the com officer responded. "No, we require no assistance." Mara shrugged.  
  
"Okay then. The supplies are in cargo bay one," she responded.  
  
"We appreciate this." The link was cut. Mara decided to sit back and relax until all the supplies were on the cruiser. Then she could head back to Yavin IV to be with her husband and son. Gods how she loved them. Mara knew that her life would not be complete without Luke Skywalker and young Ben Skywalker. She could never have imagined that she would be so happy when she still was the Emperor's Hand. But now, she couldn't think of her life any other way. Of course Leia had objected to hers and Luke's union at first, as well as just about every other being the galaxy. But, everyone grew to accept the marriage of Darth Vader's son and the Emperor's Hand and even Han said the he knew they had been destined to be together.  
  
Just as Mara was drifting off to sleep, she heard her com beeping again. They're done already? Mara thought. She pressed the com button to hear Tycho's frantic voice come shooting towards her. "Mara, we're under attack! One hundred ships." Mara looked out the view port of the cockpit and her breath caught. Over one hundred coral skippers were coming out of hyperspace to land on the fleet. "Sith," she breathed. She uncoupled the Jade Sabre from the cruiser and prepared to face the Vong.  
  
After a half an hour, the two cruisers had been destroyed and only three X-wings and the Jade Sabre were left. Mara's head and shoulder were bleeding, but she knew her ship was bleeding even worse. "Tycho, I can't stay!" she yelled into the com.  
  
"Get outta here, Mara! Go!" she heard her friend yell over the link. "You have other people to think about."  
  
"So do you, Tycho, come on!" Mara yelled back.  
  
"My hyperdrive's gone. I'm not going anywhere." Mara swallowed. What was she going to tell Winter? "Go, Mara. Get outta here," Tycho repeated.  
  
"Good bye, Tycho. And may the Force be with you." Mara cut the link and made the calculations for her jump back to Yavin. As she was about to make the jump, one of the coral skippers decided to follow her. It got caught in her hyperdrive wake and stayed in weapon's range. "Son of a Sith!" Mara breathed as it shot at her. She fired back, but it was hardly enough. Her ship was becoming weaker with every shot. She was trapped.  
  
4 I've been sitting here  
  
Can't get you off my mind  
  
I'm tryin' my best to be a man and be strong  
  
I drove myself insane wishing I could touch your face  
  
But the truth remains, you're  
  
5 Gone  
  
Luke sat in the small sparing gym watching his oldest nephew and his son spar. Jacen was giving Ben some pointers before they had begun, and now Ben seemed to have some new kind of handle on lightsaber dueling with his cousin. It seemed strange to Luke. Ever since Anakin had died sixteen years ago, there was a change in his sister's family. Even though with all the time that had passed, there was still a solemn attitude in the family. Of course Luke felt it, too, but not as strongly as Anakin's mother, father, brother and sister. Anakin had been one of Luke's best and brightest students, always willing to try new things. He was the light of the Solo family, but now that light had been extinguished and nothing could bring it back.  
  
Luke watched his son with a critical eye, watching as he battled his much older cousin. They both moved with such a grace and agility Luke had not seen for many years…not since he had seen Mara fight for the first time.  
  
Suddenly, Luke began to think about his wife. He hoped that she was alright. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Master Skywalker?" a voice questioned. Luke looked up to see Tionne. He stood up.  
  
"Hello, Tionne. What can I do for you?" he asked. He suddenly noticed the worry written on the woman's face.  
  
"Master Skywalker, I need to talk to you outside," she said, her voice shaking. Luke's brow furrowed then he nodded. He followed Tionne outside, leaving Ben and Jacen.  
  
"What's going on, Tionne?" Luke asked once they were out in the hallway. Tionne swallowed before continuing.  
  
"Master Skywalker, there's been an incident." She paused. "It concerns Mara."  
  
The color drained from Luke's face at the mention of his wife's name. He knew no good could have possibly come out of her trade run. "What's happened?" he finally was able to croak out.  
  
"Her trade convoy was ambushed by the Yuzhann Vong. She was the only one to get out alive." Luke let out a long sigh.  
  
"At least she's okay," he whispered.  
  
"Luke," Tionne said. Luke looked up at her. "The Jade Sabre was found afloat above Yavin. Mara's in the medical bay now."  
  
Luke's heart beat faster and he once again went pale. "Is she okay?"  
  
"I don't know," Tionne said. Luke began to walk past her.  
  
"Send Ben down when he's done and tell Jacen to tell my sister what's happened." With that, Luke sprinted down the hallway towards the medical bay.  
  
When he got there, he burst into the room to find Mara on one of the beds with an IV coming out of her arm, breathing tubes in her nose and cuts and bruises all over her skin. He walked towards her when he ran into Cighal. "Luke," she said.  
  
"What's wrong? Is she going to be alright?" Luke demanded. Cighal took his arm before he could reach his wife.  
  
"Luke, she has cuts all over her body. She's stable for now, and the cuts I can heal fine. But…"  
  
"No, don't say it," he snapped. "Don't."  
  
"She has internal bleeding. I can't find the source and I can't stop it. There's nothing I can do. She's bleeding to death."  
  
Luke's knees gave out from under him. He collapsed on the ground, his hands covering his face. Cighal watched with horror as the sobs racked and over took the usually calm Jedi Master's body. She knelt down beside him and put her webbed hand on his back. Luke didn't seem to notice. He was letting all his sadness and despair out and Cighal knew he would never be the same.  
  
Finally, Luke calmed down enough to talk. "How much time does she have?" he asked hoarsely.  
  
"It could be from a couple minutes to a couple hours to a couple days. I can't tell." Luke stood up on slightly shaky legs.  
  
"Can I talk to her?" he asked.  
  
"I recommend it," Cighal said. "Luke, I'm sorry." Luke nodded, then walked over to his wife's side. He looked down into her pale face. Almost all the creamy color was gone. She looked almost like she did when she was ill with the Yuzhann Vong disease. How could this happen? How could he let this happen?  
  
He took her hand softly and stroked her knuckles. Mara's green eyes fluttered open and she glanced at her beloved husband. "Luke," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you." Luke put two fingers on her lips to silence her.  
  
"Shh, it's okay. Cighal says you're going to be fine," he said, his voice catching. Mara smiled weakly.  
  
"I don't think so, Luke," she said with a rueful smile. She clenched her teeth suddenly and her breathing was haggard. Luke gripped her hand.  
  
"Mara?" he called to her and he could feel the shocking pain subsiding. She opened her eyes again.  
  
"So much pain," she whispered. "It hurts so bad."  
  
Luke was trying his best to keep his tears at bay. They stung his eyes and begged him to release them. But Luke knew that he had to be strong for him wife now.  
  
"Luke," Mara croaked. "Stop it. You're scaring me." Luke looked down at his wife. He could see the physical pain clearly written on her face and she could see him struggling with his mental pain in his eyes. "I love you, Luke," she whispered, never taking her eyes from his.  
  
"Mara, don't do this," her husband pleaded. "Don't, please!"  
  
"We have to face up to it, Luke," she said. Suddenly she started coughing, choking on her own blood. Luke moved his hand to her shoulder. That's when he saw it: a trickle of blood playing at the corner of her mouth. He quickly dabbed it away, unwilling to look at it. When her coughing fit calmed, Mara kept her eyes closed. "Don't live in denial, Luke. We both knew this day would come sometime."  
  
"But not now, Mara," Luke insisted.  
  
"And why not now, Skywalker?" she asked.  
  
"Because you're a mother, and your son needs you." Mara shook her head and opened her eyes.  
  
"No, Luke. Your son needs you now. Make him a Jedi, Luke. He loves you, worships you."  
  
"You don't think he does the same for you?" Luke asked.  
  
"Not as much as you, Luke." She took a deep, shaky breath as she saw the door to the med. center open and her eighteen year old son entered. He immediately went running towards his parents. Luke moved aside so his son could be next to his mother now.  
  
"Mom," Ben said. He took her hand and squeezed it.  
  
"Oh, Ben," Mara whispered. "My son."  
  
"You're going to be okay, aren't you, mom?" Ben asked. When Mara didn't answer, Ben turned to his father. "Dad?" Luke blinked back the tears and lowered his head. Ben's mouth dropped open and he shook his head violently. "No," he said softly. "No!" He would have collapsed had not Luke taken his arms to steady him and then wrapped his arms around his son. Ben buried his face into his father's shoulder, crying, yelling and beating his father's back with his fists out of frustration and hanger. Luke looked over at his wife and saw tears in her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, Mara began coughing more violently than before, and she started to convulse. Luke looked to Cighal. "Cighal, take him," he instructed. Cighal took the mourning Ben into her arms and Luke was again holding his wife's hand and stroking her cheek. Blood was now running down her cheek onto the stark white sheets she lay on. Luke tried to wipe it away, but it was flowing too rapidly. It was at that moment that Luke knew he was going to lose her. He was loosing the woman he loved, his wife and mother of his child…his best friend. The Force seemed so unfair. He had lost so much. Did it need to punish him more by taking his wife from him and leaving him alone?  
  
You will never be alone, Luke he heard her voice in his head. He looked down into her tear filled eyes. She had stopped coughing now and was staring up at him. Luke swallowed.  
  
Without you, Mara, I'm lost he replied. Mara shook her head.  
  
"No, Luke," she said aloud. "I'll always be with you," she whispered almost inaudibly. Luke began to cry anew. She brought a shaky hand up to his face and caressed his cheek. He looked at her again as she brushed the tears away. "Just promise me that you will not dwell too long on my death, Luke. That you will go on and defeat those deformed bastards."  
  
Luke nodded. "I won't forget you, Mara," he said. "Without you, I'm incomplete."  
  
"I will always be in your heart, Luke," Mara whispered. "And I will always be with you. I will come whenever you call and I will comfort you, give you guidance, and help you with the war." Luke gripped her hand tighter.  
  
"Mara, don't leave me," he squeaked out.  
  
"I have no choice, Luke. They're calling me. I can hear them." She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them to glance at her husband once more. "I love you," she said shakily.  
  
"Oh Mara, I love you," Luke said. He leaned down and kissed her sweet lips: the lips that caused him to lose all sense of control.  
  
After a couple of seconds, Luke realized that Mara was not returning his kisses. He broke away, his lip quivering, fearing the worst. Mara's eyes were closed and her mouth was open. "Mara?" Luke called. He shook her shoulders. "Mara?" he called again with no response. "Mara, no!" he yelled. He collapsed onto the still form of his wife. Her body was still warm. How could he let this happen? "Mara," he said, tears streaming down his face. He looked into her face and touched her lips. "Come back," he whispered. "Come back to me, Mara. Please!" That was all that came out of his mouth. Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, broke down.  
  
6 Now I don't wanna make excuses, baby  
  
Won't change the fact that you're gone  
  
But if there's something that I could do, won't you please let me know  
  
The time is passing so slowly now  
  
Guess that's my life without you  
  
And maybe I could change my everyday, but baby I don't want to  
  
Leia Organa Solo, who had been visiting her twins as well as her brother, walked into the medical bay to a heart-wrenching scene. Her nephew, Ben, was wrapped in the embrace of the Mon Calimarian doctor. And her brother, Mr. Self-Control himself, lye over a bed, weeping. Wait a minute, that bed contained a body. The body of Mara Jade Skywalker, her sister-in-law. Suddenly it all clicked into place for Leia. She ran to Luke and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Luke?" she asked. Her brother didn't even respond. She tried again. This time he looked up at her, and Leia was taken aback by what she saw. His eyes were puffy and red. His cheeks were wet from his tears and there was blood on his hands.  
  
Leia could feel her own eyes welling up at the thought of Mara dead. She had turned into a wonderful person, one who was respected and loved throughout the galaxy.  
  
Luke stared at his sister for a second, then looked back to his wife. "She's gone, Leia," he said, his voice shaking. "There was nothing I could do."  
  
"Luke," Leia said, her own voice betraying her emotions. "I'm so sorry. I loved her, too you know." With that, Leia pulled Luke into her arms. Her brother squeezed her waist tightly and nestled his face into the crook of her neck. He let new tears flow from his eyes, followed closely by Leia's. Neither of them noticed the arrival of Jacen, who took Ben and sat with his younger cousin on the medical bay's couch. There was nothing but sadness in the Skywalker-Solo family. Now, a Skywalker's light had been extinguished, and nothing could replace her.  
  
So I'll just hang around and find some things to do  
  
To take my mind of missing you  
  
And I know in my heart, you can't say that you don't love me, too  
  
Please say you do  
  
I've been sitting here  
  
Can't get you off my mind  
  
I'm tryin' my best to be a man and be strong  
  
I've drove myself insane, wishing I could touch your face  
  
But the truth remains, you're  
  
Gone  
  
It was two days after the funeral, and the condolence letters had not stopped coming yet. People all over the galaxy it seemed were mourning the loss of Mara Jade Skywalker. But none felt more empty and alone that Luke.  
  
It had been four days since Mara had died, and still Luke would have nothing to eat. He drank some water, but only enough to sustain him. He spent all his time in his and Mara's room, wrapped in the sheets with his head on her pillow. Every time he breathed he inhaled her scent. Leia had tried to talk to him, even Jacen and Jaina along with Han, but Luke didn't so much as look at them.  
  
Ben felt almost estranged by his father. He didn't do much either, but it was more that what Luke was doing. Finally, Leia asked Ben to talk to Luke.  
  
"Aunt Leia," Ben said. "I don't know what to say to him." Leia put her hand on Ben's shoulder. They were sitting on the couch in Luke's apartment. "How do you comfort someone who has lost their soul mate?" he asked.  
  
"The same way he comforted me when I lost Anakin," Leia said. "I know what Luke's going though, Ben. Anakin was my son, and Mara Jade was Luke's wife, my sister-in-law." Ben swallowed.  
  
"I don't know what to do, Aunt Leia," Ben whispered. "I feel so separated from him."  
  
"Ben," Leia said. Her only nephew looked up at her. "If any one can reach him, it's you. Not me, not Han, nor his nephew or niece. You're his son, the only living thing he has left of Mara. You're his reminder that he has to keep on living, just as Jacen and Jaina were mine. He needs you now, Ben. Go to him."  
  
Leia squeezed the young man's shoulder. Ben looked down at his hands. For the first time, Leia noticed that he had tears in his eyes. She reached for him and pulled him into her arms. Ben cried into her shoulder, and Leia stroked his back as the tears flowed free.  
  
"Oh, Aunt Leia I miss her so much!" Ben exclaimed.  
  
"I know, Ben, I know," Leia whispered into her nephew's hair. She kissed his forehead as she held him tight. "I never thought that I could miss her this much." She pulled away from Ben and forced him to look at her. "But your father's suffering more that any of us. Did he ever tell you about the Force bond that he and your mother had?" Ben thought for a second.  
  
"A little, but not much," he said. "He told me that he could hear mom from far away and he could tell what she was feeling." Leia nodded.  
  
"But he never told you how deeply it ran, did he?" Ben shook his head. "Well, Luke and Mara had a very special bond that no other Force sensitive has ever been known to share with another. It's true that they can hear and feel each other's thoughts and feelings, but it is as you said, like they were soul mates. Now that Mara's gone, Luke feels like one half of him has disappeared. That's why he's the one who needs the most comforting, right now." Leia pulled Ben into her arms again. "This is just his way of dealing with this type of pain. He's never felt it before. That's why he needs you. No one understands what Luke's going through right now better than you, Ben." Ben started to cry softly again. "He knows you're hurting. You just need to bring him out of this so you can help each other through this."  
  
"It's not fair!" Ben said through clenched teeth.  
  
"I know, Ben," Leia whispered. "Life is not always fair. Sometimes it surprised people with wonderful miracles, like you." She felt him smile. "And sometimes it stabs you in the back." Leia took a shaky breath. "But you have to learn to cope and live with the things life throws at you, and your father has always had trouble doing that." Ben pulled away from his aunt slowly and Leia held him at arms length. "And that's why he needs you." She gave him a warm smile and wiped his tears away. "Now go."  
  
Ben got up and went to the door of his father's room. When he got there, he turned around and Leia nodded. Ben turned the handle and walked into the room.  
  
Ben saw his father on his bed with the sheets covering his clothed body. Ben, like his father, had adopted the "Jedi blacks" as his mother called them, but something about his father seemed blacker than his clothes. With a tiny bit of hesitation, Ben walked up to the bed and looked down into his father's unseeing eyes.  
  
"Dad?" he asked. Luke didn't even move. Ben licked his lips. "I know you miss her, dad. I do, too." Ben swallowed and tried to keep his tears at bay. It hurt him to see his father like this. "I know that I didn't know mom as well as you did, but I still loved her."  
  
Ben finally sat on the bed next to Luke. He smiled sadly. "She once told me about you two when you first met. How she wanted to kill you because the Emperor had told her to. I didn't believe her at first. But now I know that it's true, and I couldn't be prouder to have parents like you, two. I love you, dad." Ben tentatively put his hand on Luke's arm. "I know you're hurting, but so am I. I need you now. Don't do this to me. I've already lost my mother. I don't need to lose my father, too." Unable to hold back the onslaught of tears any longer, Ben took his hand from his father's arm and he covered his face as sobs racked his body.  
  
After a few minutes, Ben was still crying when he felt and heard the bed creak. He felt two strong arms engulf him and he melted into his father's embrace. He had been able to reach him after all. Suddenly he felt like a young boy again.  
  
Luke tucked his son's head under his chin as he held him tightly. Ben buried his face into Luke's shoulder, drenching his tunic with his tears. "I'm sorry, Ben," he heard Luke say. "I haven't been there for you." He kissed Ben's hair right above his forehead. "I miss her so much. I've always feared losing her, and now it's happened."  
  
"It's so unfair," he heard Ben whimper.  
  
"Of course it's unfair, Ben. Life is always unfair, especially in war." Luke pulled Ben to arms length. "You didn't see your Aunt Leia when she and Han lost Anakin. You were only a baby." Ben sniffed before he looked up into his father's eyes. "She was hysterical. Anakin was her light. Of course she had Jacen and Jaina, but there was always something special about Anakin. Everyone saw it. She was pained, of course, but she moved on because she had other people to consider. You're right, Ben. I have to consider the fact that other people are hurting, too. I have to move on."  
  
As Luke held his son, he could feel Ben's tears subsiding. "What did it feel like?" he heard his son ask. Luke pulled away a little. "When mom died. What did it feel like, over your bond?"  
  
Luke looked away from Ben, down at his feet, recalling the unfavorable sensation. He gritted his teeth at the memory, it was so painful. "It felt like she was being pulled, ripped away from me. Not at the seam, but in the middle, making a terrifyingly huge gash right in the middle of my very soul." Luke swallowed hard, then opened his eyes again. "And there was nothing I could do to stop it."  
  
What will I do if I can't be with you  
  
Tell me where will I turn to, baby who will I be?  
  
Now that we are apart, am I still in your heart?  
  
Baby why can't you see that I need you here with me?  
  
Coruscant: Seven Years Later  
  
Luke lye in bed unable to go to sleep. He was ecstatic. They won. The New Republic had finally defeated the Yuzhann Vong. It must have been the Force, Luke thought. So much had happened in the seven years after Mara's death besides their victory. Ben had gotten married two years earlier to a young girl from Corellia named Christina. They were expecting a baby girl to be named Mara. Luke smiled and reached towards Mara's pillow. Even after five years it still had not lost her scent.  
  
"Luke," he heard a familiar voice from behind him. Luke's eyes snapped open as he recognized the voice. He spun around to see the shimmering image of his wife smiling at him from the edge of the bed.  
  
"Mara?" he asked. Mara nodded.  
  
"I told you I would come when you called," she said. "I never break my promises, Skywalker."  
  
"I called you?" Luke asked. "It doesn't matter, you're here."  
  
"Yes Luke, I'm here. I've always been here." She got up and moved closer to him. She sighed. "You look old, Skywalker," she commented.  
  
"You don't," he said. "We won, Mara!" Mara's smile widened.  
  
"I know," she said. Then her smile faded slightly. "How's Ben? Is he alright?" Luke smiled and nodded.  
  
"He's fine."  
  
"How old is he now? Twenty-one?" Mara asked.  
  
"Twenty-three, actually. He's almost as tall Jacen now." Luke glanced out his window for a second. "He got married two years ago." Mara smiled.  
  
"To who?" she asked.  
  
"A girl from Corellia. Her name's Christina."  
  
"Tell me about her," Mara said. Luke chuckled a little, then looked into Mara's green eyes. How he missed those eyes.  
  
"She is about your height with shoulder length blonde hair. She's from a middle class family on Corellia, so she dresses kind of like Leia, but not as fancy." Mara nodded. "Her eyes are a shade between gray and blue, she has beautiful eyes, Mara. She's funny, smart, resourceful, and at times has a sharp tongue. She reminds me of you sometimes," Luke said with a grin. Mara giggled a little. Then Luke looked away again. "She's also pregnant."  
  
Mara caught her breath. "Really?" she asked. Luke nodded, then looked at his wife again.  
  
"It's a girl. They want to name her after you." Mara looked away, taken aback by her husband's words. "They both decided on it," Luke said. Mara bit her lip, fighting back tears.  
  
"They want to name their first child after me?" she asked, her voice shaking. Luke nodded. Mara sniffed and wiped her eyes. "At least he still remembers me."  
  
"How could he forget you, Mara?" her husband asked. "You are his mother. He loved you more than anything."  
  
"I miss him," Mara whispered. "I miss you and him so much."  
  
"We miss you, too Mara," Luke said, trying to keep his tears at bay.  
  
"Promise me something, Farmboy."  
  
"Anything, Mara," Luke said quickly.  
  
"That you will not join me until it's your time," she said. "I left when the Force chose for me. Do the same for yourself, Luke." Luke nodded.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"You'll come when it's your time. And I'll be waiting. I promise." Mara blinked back the tears that had been threatening to fall. "I have to go," she said. Luke nodded. "I love you, and remember, I'll always be here."  
  
"I love you, Mara," Luke whispered. She blew him one last kiss before she vanished. Luke caught the kiss and put it to his lips.  
  
"I'll never forget you, Mara," he murmured to himself. He lye back down on her pillow, and before he fell asleep he heard her whisper soft voice in his ear…  
  
I've been sitting here  
  
Can't get you off my mind  
  
I'm tryin' my best to be a man and be strong  
  
I've drove myself insane, wishing I could touch your face  
  
But the truth remains, you're  
  
Gone  
  
  
  
But the truth remains, you're  
  
Gone  
  
"I love you." 


End file.
